Help:Creating articles
Because of the ever-expanding nature of this wiki, there will always be articles on obscure or limited topics that do not exist. However, if the topic is well known, you should anticipate that it already exists. It is worth making sure that the article does not already exist before creating it, otherwise you will be duplicating information and possibly confusing a reader. Checking for an article's existence You can find an article by: * Going directly to its address. For example, http://pathfinder.wikia.com/wiki/Elf * Using the search box on the left side. When searching, try to use as few search terms as possible. If you are unsure of the spelling, this can further complicate things, so try several alternatives. Even if you are sure of the spelling, there is a slight chance that the previous editor got it wrong, so the page might be under the wrong title. * Looking in an appropriate category. For example, if you are trying to find an article about an elf you know to be a Forlorn, look in Category:Forlorn to see if you can find the article there. * Looking for links from a similar subject. For example, you would expect the Varisia article to provide a link to the Korvosa article, since one is the largest city of the other. It should therefore stand to reason that other cities within Varisia might also be linked on the Varisia article, although this is no guarantee. Improving access If you were looking to create an article on a particular topic, but found the article in an unexpected place, you should consider whether it is in the appropriate place. Incorrect names Sometimes the creator of the article made a mistake and just typed in its name wrong. In this case, you should move the article to the correct name, citing a source for the correct name if possible. Unexpected names Is the article under a name that, although correct, is not widely used, where a more widely-used name is available? If this is the case, then you should consider moving the article. Be sure to check convention where possible, because an article might be named in a specific way for a reason that you are unaware of, and moving it would worsen the situation. In all but the most clear of cases, it is worth starting a discussion on the article's talk page and trying to reach a consensus about moving the article. Provide specific examples if possible. Wrong category Did you have trouble finding the article because it is in the wrong category, or a category that is not specific enough? Sometimes editors can change information that would effectively recategorize an article, and then forget to implement this change. For example, if a person has been listed as a wizard, but is actually a transmuter, the text in the article should be changed, and the category should also be changed. Although it is not "wrong" to put the article in Category:Wizards, it would be better in Category:Transmuters, since this is more specific. Improving redirects There are often cases where the article you are looking for cannot be found because the expected or natural spelling is not the actual spelling of the article. For example, a user might attempt to access the Ileosa Arabasti article using the word "Ileosa", which seems to be a perfectly reasonable thing to do considering that not all users will know her last name. In this case, consider creating a redirect or two. There is no need to create redirects for every possible spelling or misspelling, but cover the obvious ones. Articles vs sections Consider whether your topic merits its own article or whether it can be incorporated into an existing article as a new section. You should consider: * Whether you can write more than three sentences about the topic. * Whether the topic is distinct from every other topic with its own article. * Whether the topic is within the scope of the wiki. If you can wholeheartedly answer "yes" to all of the above points, it is probably, but not definitely, worth its own article. Similarly, some topics for which the above points all answer "yes" still don't need to be created as articles. It is quite often a judgment call. Creating the article If you are satisfied that the topic needs its own article, go ahead and create it. You might want to refer to: * * * Sections The bulk of your article should be split into logical sections depending on the article's topic. Towards the end of the article, most sections will be the same, regardless of what the article is about. Generally, these include (in this order): ; See also : Other articles on the local wiki that might be of interest to the reader who has completed the current article. ; References : Citations that have been created inline in the text using the tags should appear here, so you should only ever need to put here. See for more information. ; Notes : Citations that are relevant to the article, but not associated with any particular statement, can be placed here. It is best to use the subtemplates or their sister templates as relevant. See for more information. ; Further reading : Where to go to find out more on the article's topic. This could be books, web sites or potentially anything else that does not serve as a reference for the article, but provides extra information on the same subject. ; External links : Links that are relevant to the current article but do not directly provide further reading. The above order is suggested, but not required and many pages will simply have a References section. Creating articles